The human rights expert explains what stopped the first flight to Rwanda
The UK could withdraw from the European human rights framework after the latest legal rulings blocked the government’s plan to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Downing Street said all options were on the table and did not rule out withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Interior Minister Priti Patel insisted the government would go ahead with its Rwanda plan, saying: “This government will not be deterred from doing the right thing. We will not be discouraged by the inevitable last minute legal challenges. “We will also not allow tourists to block removals.”
He said the decision by the European Court of Human Rights to stop last night’s flight was “disappointing and surprising”, but “we remain committed to this policy”.
A succession of Conservative MPs pushed for the UK to withdraw from the ECHR and the jurisdiction of the Strasbourg court.
The withdrawal of the ECHR would be fraught with difficulties because it underpins human rights obligations in international treaties, such as the Good Friday Agreement and the Brexit agreement.
Key points
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Pressure is growing on the Prime Minister to release Lord Geidt’s letter of resignation
Rob Merrick, our deputy political editor, has the full story on this, and not just Labor MPs are asking for it.
Pressure is mounting on Boris Johnson to hand over a letter of resignation written by his ethics adviser to reveal why he has suddenly resigned, he writes.
A former incumbent warned that the public would “draw its own conclusions” if the prime minister keeps secret what is believed to be a very strong release note sent by Christopher Geidt.
Zoe Tidman June 16, 2022 8:49 AM
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He requests that the letter of resignation be made public
Labor MPs want to see his letter of resignation in full.
They ask the government to publish it:
Zoe Tidman June 16, 2022 8:31 AM
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Statement of resignation of Lord Geidt
The government announced his resignation last night.
He shared a statement from Lord Geidt, who simply said, “Unfortunately, I think it is right for me to step down as an independent adviser to the interests of ministers.”
Zoe Tidman16 June 2022 08:14
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Lord Geidt resigns for disagreeing with Partygate
Boris Johnson’s independent ethics adviser Christopher Geidt has resigned following disagreements over Partygate, reports Andrew Woodcock.
The shocking resignation puts the prime minister in crisis again, after winning a vote of confidence in his position among Conservative MPs last week.
Zoe Tidman June 16, 2022 7:48 AM
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Reaction to the cancellation of Rwanda’s first deportation flight to the front pages.
The nation’s newspapers are led by the sudden resignation of Prime Minister Lord Geidt’s ethics adviser and reactions to the cancellation of Rwanda’s first deportation flight.
The Independent brings first-hand accounts of some of those on board the canceled flight.
The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph report that Geidt had been “frustrated” by Boris Johnson’s response to the party’s doorstep investigations and described the resignation as a “last resort” that “sends a critical signal in the public domain “.
See more covers here:
Stuti Mishra16 June 2022 06:57
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ICYMI: UK rescues 444 migrants from crossing the English Channel when the deportation flight to Rwanda is canceled
More than 440 people were found trying to cross the English Channel on the same day as the first scheduled deportation flight from the United Kingdom to Rwanda.
That was the highest number on the same day in two months.
It came when the United Kingdom tried to start deporting asylum seekers arriving in the United Kingdom by unofficial routes, such as in small boats across the Channel, to Rwanda.
Stuti Mishra16 June 2022 05:53
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President censures Boris Johnson for claiming Labor “supports human trafficking”
Boris Johnson was censored by the speaker during the PMQ on Wednesday after strangely claiming that Labor was “on the side of human traffickers”.
Johnson made the claim because Labor has criticized his policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda. Opposition leader Keir Starmer has criticized the measure for cost and practicality.
During an exchange with the Labor leader, Johnson responded to the question by telling lawmakers: “They are on the side of human traffickers who would risk the lives of people at sea and we are on the side of people who come here safely and legal “.
Here’s more about Jon Stone:
Stuti Mishra June 16, 2022 5:30 p.m.
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Boris Johnson cannot ignore the delicate balance needed over Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement
The challenge to the UK’s legal capacity in relation to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and its court, following the failure of the Rwanda plan, came before someone appeared to have told the Prime Minister that the ECHR supports the Good Friday Agreement, Sean writes. O’Grady.
The Prime Minister is proposing changes not yet specified in the law to allow the forced expulsion of refugees from Africa.
Stuti Mishra16 June 2022 05:11
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Priti Patel accused of wasting millions on flights to Rwanda
Priti Patel has been accused of squandering millions of pounds of taxpayer money in a political ploy after plans to deport seven asylum seekers to Rwanda were blocked on Tuesday night, writes Andrew Woodcock.
The aborted flight to the East African country is believed to have cost up to £ 500,000, in addition to an initial payment of £ 120 million paid to the Kigali government as part of a “migration association”. and Economic Development “signed by the Secretary of the Interior in April.
Government officials insisted that planning was already underway for another flight, but legal experts said no plane was likely to take off before a judicial review was concluded next month. The defeat in the courts could mean that no migrants will ever be sent to Rwanda.
Stuti Mishra16 June 2022 04:45
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Boris Johnson warns that threat of abandonment of human rights treaty jeopardizes stability in Northern Ireland
Boris Johnson has been warned that there is a risk of destabilizing Northern Ireland if it continues to threaten to withdraw the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights in response to a court ruling that thwarted its efforts to deport applicants. asylum in Rwanda on Tuesday (Andrew Woodcock writes).
After the Prime Minister said he might have to “change some laws” to ensure flights continue, Downing Street confirmed today that the ECHR’s withdrawal is one of several options being considered.
The news was received with horror in Belfast and Dublin, as membership in the convention is a key element of the Good Friday Agreement that ended the Troubles in 1998.
The withdrawal would make the United Kingdom the only non-signatory in Europe other than Belarus, whose application to join the Council of Europe has been blocked for failing to meet democratic standards, and Russia, which withdrew after the invasion of Ukraine.
Liam James16 June 2022 02:40